Best movies like Dreaming Lhasa

How do you reconcile a commitment to non-violence when faced with violence? Why do the poor often seem happier than the rich? Must a society lose its traditions in order to move into the future? These are some of the questions posed to His Holiness the Dalai Lama by filmmaker and explorer Rick Ray. Ray examines some of the fundamental questions of our time by weaving together observations from his own journeys throughout India and the Middle East, and the wisdom of an extraordinary spiritual leader. This is his story, as told and filmed by Rick Ray during a private visit to his monastery in Dharamsala, India over the course of several months. Also included is rare historical footage as well as footage supplied by individuals who at great personal risk, filmed with hidden cameras within Tibet.

Fate brings a young man from rural Kerala to be the protector of a young Lama in Nepal, who is being chased by a dangerous cult.

Dr. Bhaskar, a Magsaysay Award winner, returns to his native village after forty years accompanied by his doctor son and American daughter-in-law. While watching the ruins of his ancestral manor, Dr. Bhaskar remembers the critical year before his joining medical college. It was not his Gandhian freedom fighter father nor his feudal uncle or romantic elder brother, but his mother who motivated him to be a doctor for the service of the poor. She believed that is the only way to appease the Guardian Spirit of the house. Bhaskar is indebted to another woman, Krishnatai, his brother's lower caste lover, who was enlightened enough to support his mother's dream. Bhaskar is now back home to fulfill the wish of his mother

Four friends in Dharamsala go for a 'mission' but their true self are eventually revealed.

Whatever Works explores the relationship between a crotchety misanthrope, Boris and a naïve, impressionable young runaway from the south, Melody. When Melody's uptight parents arrive in New York to rescue her, they are quickly drawn into wildly unexpected romantic entanglements. Everyone discovers that finding love is just a combination of lucky chance and appreciating the value of "whatever works."

A documentary filmmaker, who is covering the protest of a remote forest tribe, goes missing. His nine-year-old daughter, along with her mother, arrives in the remote tribal area in search of the missing man. While the mother carries an extensive search through conventional means, the daughter does the same by referencing the plot of a fairytale. The quest gets fulfilled when reality and fantasy come together to unfold an ancient tribal myth.

A successful, big city girl returns to her small town roots after a family emergency. Once there she goes on a soulful journey to reconnect with family and friends and finds romance along the way.

The Tibetans refer to the Dalai Lama as 'Kundun', which means 'The Presence'. He was forced to escape from his native home, Tibet, when communist China invaded and enforced an oppressive regime upon the peaceful nation. The Dalai Lama escaped to India in 1959 and has been living in exile in Dharamsala ever since.

Dia is a divorced mom living in New York and must go back to India after she receives news that her guru is on his death bed. When she arrives she finds he is gone and has left her the responsibility of saving and reviving the Ajanta Theater where she used to dance. The problem is that the political officers want it torn down and turned into a shopping mall. The storyline follows Dia and her challenge to stand up for what she believes in and fight the cause to the end, while trying to win back the love and support of the people of the town whom she walked out on ten years prior.

A kindly English botanist and a gruff American promoter lead an expedition to the Himalayas in search of the legendary Yeti.

Austrian mountaineer, Heinrich Harrer journeys to the Himalayas without his family to head an expedition in 1939. But when World War II breaks out, the arrogant Harrer falls into Allied forces' hands as a prisoner of war. He escapes with a fellow detainee and makes his way to Llaso, Tibet, where he meets the 14-year-old Dalai Lama, whose friendship ultimately transforms his outlook on life.

A mother's last wishes send twins Jeanne and Simon on a journey to Middle East in search of their tangled roots. Adapted from Wajdi Mouawad's acclaimed play, Incendies tells the powerful and moving tale of two young adults' voyage to the core of deep-rooted hatred, never-ending wars and enduring love.

As the denizens of a Tibetan village prepare for their arduous annual trek to exchange salt for grain, the community's allegiances are split between aging chieftain Tinle (Thilen Lhondup) and rebellious young Karma (Gurgon Kyap). Tinle tries to maintain his clout and preserve obedience to ancient customs when Karma challenges the old man's power.

A love story situated in the Himalayas. A Buddhist monk can't choose between life and the way of the Buddha.

Heinrich Harrer, an Austrian moutain climber, escapes from a British POW camp in India and flees north across the Himalayan mountains into Tibet. There he meets and befriends the young Dalai Lama.

A look at the life and struggles of the Tibetan people and their culture told through music.

'THE QUEST: Nepal' is an epic journey to deeper understand and climb the most iconic mountain on earth, Everest, and to unveil the fascinating culture, history and nature of Nepal. From experiencing Mt. Everest like never before to witnessing remarkable rarely seen stories from one of the most unique countries in the world, 'THE QUEST: Nepal' is truly a one-of-a-kind cinematic journey like no other, and one which embodies the incredible human spirit of adventure that lives inside us all!

Buddhist monks open up about the joys and challenges of living out the precepts of the Buddha as a full-time vocation. Controversies swirling within modern monastic Buddhism are examined, from celibacy and the role of women to racism and concerns about the environment.

Veteran comedy writer Charlie Berns, who is slowly but surely losing his grip on reality, befriends a talented young New York street singer Emma Payge. Together, they form an unlikely yet hilarious and touching friendship that kicks the generation gap aside and redefines the meaning of love and trust.

Filmed over twenty years, Tibetan Buddhist Master Choogyal Namkhai Norbu watches as his western-born son, Yeshi, who was recognized at birth as the reincarnation of a famous spiritual master, considers departing from tradition to embrace the modern world.

A girl believing in God marries an atheist, who is consumed by doubt. They decide to spend their honeymoon in India...

From their first encounter as teenagers in high school, Scott and Sid seem unlikely friends. Scott is a shambolic dreamer, intent on carving out his own path in life and holding up a metaphorical middle finger to anyone who tries to stop him. He is a quintessential troubled teen: on his fifth high school by the age of fifteen, alienated from his peers, crippled by recurring nightmares and disliked by his own foster parents. Sid, on the other hand, wants nothing more than to be liked. An unconfident, awkward recluse through circumstance, Sid's impoverished and dysfunctional background leave him no time for friends and no money for hobbies.

A young gay filmmaker who shares a Beirut apartment with his mother and pet dog sets about reconstructing his identity by renovating his bedroom. But as the male construction workers come and go in the freshly embattled household, new questions, old arguments and unexpected passions get stirred.

Western culture treats mental disorders primarily through biomedical psychiatry, but filmmakers Phil Borges and Kevin Tomlinson reveal a growing movement of professionals and survivors who are forging alternative treatments that focus on recovery and turning mental “illness” into a positive transformative experience.

The daily life of the Dalai Lama is brought home with remarkable intimacy in SUNRISE/SUNSET. Granted total access to His Holiness for 24 hours, this is a day in the life of the Dalai Lama from when he wakes up at 3 a.m. until his bedtime at dusk.

Since 1950, Tibet has been occupied by China. Dorjee, a young Tibetan, grew up in peace 40 years later. After the death of his father, it all comes to a point, where he realizes that his wings are already cut, what it means to be Tibetan in a country which is called "China". Inside Tibet and in exile, a last cry for freedom starts.

This documentary for PBS by award-winning filmmaker David Grubin and narrated by Richard Gere, tells the story of the Buddha’s life, a journey especially relevant to our own bewildering times of violent change and spiritual confusion. It features the work of some of the world’s greatest artists and sculptors, who across two millennia, have depicted the Buddha’s life in art rich in beauty and complexity. Hear insights into the ancient narrative by contemporary Buddhists, including Pulitzer Prize winning poet W.S. Merwin and His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Join the conversation and learn more about meditation, the history of Buddhism, and how to incorporate the Buddha’s teachings on compassion and mindfulness into daily life.

Padma (Jade) is an Indian girl born and raised in the US and during childhood she sees the murder of her father which shakes her faith in god. Years pass by and even her mother passes away. While she lives the life of loneliness and fear, a turn takes place as she comes across Dev (Sesh). He is new to the US and comes from a place remotely known in India. Dev’s mother leaves him with Padma and goes to New York. It is here that Padma begins to experience few unbelievable things being done by Dev which questions her very faith. On the other hand, a devil cult is spreading its tentacles and it is out to create mayhem and unrest in the world. Who is Dev? What is his identity? What happens to Padma’s strong beliefs? All this forms the rest of the story.

Karma Aur Holi is entirely shot in New York and its suburbs and Priceton/New Jersey. The film deals with relationships of many dimensions, their conflicts and resolutions on the day of Holi, which is an indian festival of colors that signifies a new beginning. A contemporary film, wherein the story revolves around the identity of Indian families living in the USA, the cross cultural differences in evolution - do Indians, having migrated from their native land adapt to the difference in culture and are they ready to give up their inherent cultural inhibitions. "Karma, Confessions and Holi" is a film about Indian families, their relationships with fello Americans. their own internal and inter-personal conflicts. First English language film with prominent Indian and International stars.

Five interrelated women and the men in their lives, each having a separate tale and contrasting behaviour, experience catastrophic life events, which leads to introspection in the city of Kolkata. In this dog-eat-dog-world, where karma is just around the corner and where time waits for none, we follow the characters on their journey of love, lust, passion, revenge and redemption.

On the roofs of a Tibetan monastery two boys let fly a kite, but suddenly a shot rips the relaxed silence, and one of the two guys gets shot, the "Golden Boy" which is the fictitious successor to the Dalai Lama. The monks act immediately and bring him out of Tibet to secure his body. In the meantime, the Berlinese mountaineer Johanna and her Swiss friend travel to the monastery to stay there for some days...

The Nightingale of Tibet is a musical biopic about the life of opera singer Yiga Gyalnang, played by Tibetan singer Namgyal Lhamo. The movie follows the perilous journey of the singer as she escapes illegal detention in an underground Tibetan prison cell to make it across the border to Nepal and eventually to Europe where she finds international acclaim and success.

Movie deals with the story of the mental conflicts of a Tibetan Buddhist priest.

After the 1979 Islamic revolution in Iran, a boy grew up obsessed with all the movies he couldn't see. He met a mysterious film collector who saved thousands of films from destruction by the new regime. Despite arrest and torture, the collector refused to give up his secret hoard. Together they forged a friendship based on passion for cinema and resistance against tyranny. The boy escaped to exile in London to become a filmmaker, and tells their shared story of obsession and celluloid dreams.

In a Himalayan polyandrous village in Nepal, newly married and pregnant Pema tries to make the best of her new life. But soon, her first husband Tashi vanishes on the trade route to Lhasa. Accompanied by her monk de facto husband, Karma, she embarks on a journey into the unforgiving wilderness to find him, evolving into a quest of self discovery and liberation.